Month: May 2017

Recounting the events of today: An American comedian posted to social media a picture that included a likeness of the President in an extremely vulgar, grotesque, and at least plausibly threatening context. There was widespread outrage and condemnation of the image. Virtually no one of consequence defended the comedian or her content. Nonetheless, that didn't…

A question that's been nagging me: Would Anthony Weiner still have a political career if he hadn't owned an iPhone? Last week Weiner pled guilty to sending sexually explicit messages to a minor through his smartphone. His plea deal comes with probable prison time. Weiner, former Congressman and aspiring New York City mayor, told the…

Last spring spent about four hours of a Monday night at a college graduation. My wife was being awarded her degree in elementary education, and she was joined by (according to the college president) 995 other undergraduates. Graduates were welcomed, inducted, charged, presented, and awarded, in that order. The night was long; speeches repeated, processionals and…

My intention with my last post was to make a very small, but very important point. Discernment is not cynicism, and cynicism is not discernment. What passes for critical thinking is often nothing more than a defense mechanism, wired specifically to keep presuppositions from coming into contact with pushback, disappointment, or worst of all, contrary reality.…

Cynicism: "I don't believe these news reports because they critique or reflect poorly on those in my political tribe." Discernment: "Of course, I have my convictions and my loyalties, but everyone, including me, is capable of doing wrong." Cynicism: "The problem is clearly that these media outlets have an agenda against my tribe. You can't trust them." Discernment: "Bias is real,…

I'm headed to the mountains for vacation tomorrow, and will be signing out of all social media for the duration of my holiday. Unplugging from social media and taking vacation seem to go hand in hand, for a lot of us. But have you wondered why this is? I have a feeling James K.A. Smith…

What does Proverbs 22:13 have to do with social media and public discourse? The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” Now, you don’t have to have a Ph.D. in Old Testament to know that waking up near a lion was not an unheard of event in the…

I have a quick word on this take on movies and culture from Freddie deBoer. I agree with 99% of what he says, and have tried at various times to make the point he makes. But I do have one issue with his thinking, and that is his notion that a film without sex is…

Since registering my deep concerns with the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why," I've been pleased to see more thoughts from others, like Russell Moore and Trevin Wax. Non-Christian therapy and counseling professionals are likewise alarmed, and apparently there's been enough of a backlash that Netflix has pledged to put more "trigger warnings" into the show.…

It's getting really bad out there. Americans, including very intelligent, thoughtful ones, simply cannot abide the mere presence of someone they don't agree with. How else to explain the spectacle of allegedly reasonable people scurrying to punish The New York Times for hiring Bret Stephens to write op-eds? Stephens, his critics charge, is a climate…